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smackenzieAidan's other songs made Val want to go to Arizona or New Mexico or parts of California that weren't LA or San Francisco. Oddly enough, the love songs did not make him want to fall in love. But they did make him happy that such a love existed somewhere.
(Val at twenty-six had never really been in love. He'd been in like and in lust and in crush, but never really love. He wasn't worried about it yet, though - he figured it would happen eventually, and he could still say he loved his family, the little of it there was, and he loved some of his friends. What Aidan and Stella felt for each other, he never had, but they did and that was enough for him.)
"Did you play anything new?" Val asked now.
"No," Aidan said. "All old stuff. I haven't been writing lyrics, it's a little weird. Lots of music, though. I know a guy, Allen Souter" -
"Like the Supreme Court Justice," Stella interrupted. "No relation, though."
"Allen Souter," Aiden went on, apparently ignoring her, "he's a local musician, he asked me a couple weeks ago about maybe working together, and I want to call him and talk about trying it. He can write the words."
"They might get a band together. Cool, huh?"
"It sounds like fun," Val agreed. He tried to imagine Aidan and his guitar with a backing band. It might have been a more successful visualization if he'd been to any other unplugged concerts in the past few years.
"Should be," Aidan said. "He's a little more bitter than me, so us writing lyrics together will be an experience. I'm kind of looking forward to it, though. Broaden my horizons, all that good stuff."
"I'll come see you."
"Of course you will." Aidan grinned. "Socializing outside of work is good for you."
"I socialize outside work."
"Where were you last night?" Stella asked. "On the couch, asleep." But he knew from her expression that she was just teasing him.
"Last night was an exception. When's your next show?"
"I don't know," Aidan admitted. "Couple weeks, I think. I don't know if I'll have anything ready from working with Allen, though. It'll probably still be all old stuff. Maybe I should just do a night of covers and traditional ballads. What do you think?"
"I don't know. I'd still go, I guess."
"You guess? You don't love me?" He pouted. Val was unconvinced.
"He'd love you if you got a cute guy to sing harmony," Stella suggested.
"I thought I was the cute guy...."
"You're adorable," Val said drily. "what time is it? I should really go home and go to bed."
"You sure you don't want to stay so we can make fun of your love life some more?"
"I'm sure." Val heaved himself off the couch, temporarily forgot where his coat was, and turned in a circle in brief confusion. Stella giggled and pointed to the coat closet. He felt stupid but gave her an embarrassed grin anyway, before digging his coat out of the closet and putting it on.
Aidan got up as well, saying "I think I was volunteered to drive you home" and then going into the bedroom to get a coat. Why it wasn't in the coat closet was beyond Val's understanding.
"Thanks for dinner," he told Stella. "It was really good."
"You can come over and eat chili any time," she said. "Tell Aidan not to run any lights."
"I heard that," Aidan said, coming out of the bedroom wearing a sweater. "Now kiss Val goodnight so we can go."
Stella kissed both of them on the cheek and then Val followed Aidan out of the building and down to the car, where he had to wait a minute for Aidan to clear all the stuff off the front seat. Stella used the car during the week to get back and forth from the school where she worked, while Aidan either took the bus or sometimes got a ride. Val guessed that he'd taken the bus this morning, because the passenger side of the front seat was covered with papers and folders and a newspaper. Aidan just swept it together and dumped it on the back seat. Most of the papers landed on the floor behind him anyway.
Val climbed in, Aidan turned on the radio, and away they went.
words: 686
total words: 8431
(Val at twenty-six had never really been in love. He'd been in like and in lust and in crush, but never really love. He wasn't worried about it yet, though - he figured it would happen eventually, and he could still say he loved his family, the little of it there was, and he loved some of his friends. What Aidan and Stella felt for each other, he never had, but they did and that was enough for him.)
"Did you play anything new?" Val asked now.
"No," Aidan said. "All old stuff. I haven't been writing lyrics, it's a little weird. Lots of music, though. I know a guy, Allen Souter" -
"Like the Supreme Court Justice," Stella interrupted. "No relation, though."
"Allen Souter," Aiden went on, apparently ignoring her, "he's a local musician, he asked me a couple weeks ago about maybe working together, and I want to call him and talk about trying it. He can write the words."
"They might get a band together. Cool, huh?"
"It sounds like fun," Val agreed. He tried to imagine Aidan and his guitar with a backing band. It might have been a more successful visualization if he'd been to any other unplugged concerts in the past few years.
"Should be," Aidan said. "He's a little more bitter than me, so us writing lyrics together will be an experience. I'm kind of looking forward to it, though. Broaden my horizons, all that good stuff."
"I'll come see you."
"Of course you will." Aidan grinned. "Socializing outside of work is good for you."
"I socialize outside work."
"Where were you last night?" Stella asked. "On the couch, asleep." But he knew from her expression that she was just teasing him.
"Last night was an exception. When's your next show?"
"I don't know," Aidan admitted. "Couple weeks, I think. I don't know if I'll have anything ready from working with Allen, though. It'll probably still be all old stuff. Maybe I should just do a night of covers and traditional ballads. What do you think?"
"I don't know. I'd still go, I guess."
"You guess? You don't love me?" He pouted. Val was unconvinced.
"He'd love you if you got a cute guy to sing harmony," Stella suggested.
"I thought I was the cute guy...."
"You're adorable," Val said drily. "what time is it? I should really go home and go to bed."
"You sure you don't want to stay so we can make fun of your love life some more?"
"I'm sure." Val heaved himself off the couch, temporarily forgot where his coat was, and turned in a circle in brief confusion. Stella giggled and pointed to the coat closet. He felt stupid but gave her an embarrassed grin anyway, before digging his coat out of the closet and putting it on.
Aidan got up as well, saying "I think I was volunteered to drive you home" and then going into the bedroom to get a coat. Why it wasn't in the coat closet was beyond Val's understanding.
"Thanks for dinner," he told Stella. "It was really good."
"You can come over and eat chili any time," she said. "Tell Aidan not to run any lights."
"I heard that," Aidan said, coming out of the bedroom wearing a sweater. "Now kiss Val goodnight so we can go."
Stella kissed both of them on the cheek and then Val followed Aidan out of the building and down to the car, where he had to wait a minute for Aidan to clear all the stuff off the front seat. Stella used the car during the week to get back and forth from the school where she worked, while Aidan either took the bus or sometimes got a ride. Val guessed that he'd taken the bus this morning, because the passenger side of the front seat was covered with papers and folders and a newspaper. Aidan just swept it together and dumped it on the back seat. Most of the papers landed on the floor behind him anyway.
Val climbed in, Aidan turned on the radio, and away they went.
words: 686
total words: 8431
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-07 05:17 am (UTC)you're doing great, sweetie! keep up the good work. :)